Something truly amazing happened today

Today will go down in Russian history, as a truly historical celebration of the victory over Nazi Germany. The parade – by far the most beautiful I have seen (alas, only on video, not in person) – was superb and for the first time included the Chinese PLA [People’s Liberation Army]. Clearly, we see history in the making. But something else, no less amazing, also happened today: Defense Minister Shoigu made the sign of the Cross before the beginning of the celebrations:

This is an absolutely momentous moment for Russia. Never in the past history had any Russian Minister of Defense done anything like it. True, the old tradition was to make the sign of the Cross when passing under the Kremlin’s Savior Tower, if only because there is an icon of the Savior right over the gate. However, everybody in Russia immediately understood that there was much more to this gesture than an external compliance to an ancient tradition.

Icon of the Savior

The Russian journalist Victor Baranets puts it very well when he wrote:”At that moment I felt that with his simple gesture Shoigu brought all of Russia to his feet. There was so much kindness, so much hope, so much of our Russian sense of the sacred [in this gesture]“. He is absolutely correct. To see this Tuvan Buddhist make the sign of the Cross in the Orthodox manner sent an electric shock through the Russian blogosphere: everybody felt that something amazing had happened.

For one thing, nobody in his right mind would suspect Shoigu of ever doing anything just “for show”. The man has an immense capital of popularity and credibility in Russia and he has no need for political hypocrisy. Furthermore, those who saw the footage will immediately see that Shoigu was very concentrated, very solemn, when he did this. Personally, I believe that Shoigu quite literally asked for God’s help in one of the most dangerous moment in Russian history in which he, the Russian Minister of Defense, might be called to take momentous decisions from which the future of the planet might depend.

For centuries Russian soldiers have knelt and asked for God’s blessing, before going into battle and this is, I believe, what Shoigu did today. He knows that 2015 will be the year of the big war between Russia and the Empire (even if, due to the presence of nuclear weapons on both sides, this war will remain 80% informational, 15% economic and 5% military)

Does that mean that Shoigu converted to Orthodoxy? Not necessarily. Buddhism is very accepting of other religions and I don’t see much of a contradiction here. But the fact that the first Russian government official to begin the historical Victory Day parade by making the sign of the Cross and appealing for God’s help is a Buddhist, is, in itself, quite amazing (even if it shames his nominally “Orthodox” predecessors who never did so).

I can only imagine the horror, outrage and despair Shoigu’s gesture will trigger in the pro-Western Russian “liberal intelligentsia” and in the western capitals. In placing himself and all of Russia in God’s hands, Shoigu declared a spiritual, cultural and civilizational war on the Empire. And just for that, he will go down in history as one of Russia’s greatest men.

The Saker

The Essential Saker III: Chronicling The Tragedy, Farce And Collapse of the Empire in the Era of Mr MAGA

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As a Bhuddist I do understand the significance of the gesture and its implications.
All the best to Russia, no wonder they have shown infinite patience with Empire and its servers.
All defence ministers in the world should be Buddhists!

Buddhism is supposed to be a fundamentally peaceful system of beliefs. And yet, many other factors can become involved. It may be shocking to realize that the majority of the Khmer Rouge leaders, including Pol Pot, who established one of the creepiest and bloodthirstiest governments in all of human history, in Cambodia, were of Buddhist cultural and religious background.

We’re all of shamanist/animistic cultural background, doesn’t stop us from pursuing environmental holocaust. Nonsense idea, that someone’s cultural background, rather than the worldview they actually think and act by is a determinate.

The vast majority of Israelis are of Jewish cultural and religious background. Yet it never stopped the Jews before ( remember the Nakba) or *presently* to continue their daily ongoing genocidal project against Palestinian Christians and Palestinian Muslims, Druze ( Israel destroys their homes too) and the inhumane treatment of Black refugees’ at the hands of the ‘chosen ones’ that say Israel is a “light upon the nations”. LOL More like a “evil darkness upon the nations”.

And I will add the German Nazis did not go on their violent rampage as Israel has since 1948 !

I’d step off the gas a little bit on this issue of Shoigu being Buddhist: I’ve seen interviews of Shoigu where he implies that he is Orthodox Christian. I saw an interview where he clearly mentions that he was baptized – mentions his mother in this context -, the location and the approximate date. His statement was in response to a direct question put to him about his religious affiliation, although, at the same time, Shoigu was coyly ambiguous in his wording.

A lot of people have gushed emotionally at this gesture, however another take on this can be that it was a political move; (are we looking at a vetted successor to Putin?) you can’t be a leader of Russia without going thru the motions of being Orthodox (at least outwardly). In addition, yet another take on this move by Shoigu is that his gesture may have simply been respectful – and nothing more.

I am confused by Saker’s repeated insistence that Shoigu is Buddhist; where is the supporting material that states this? Many of us who come here are not Russia experts nor Russian speakers so we are dependent on people like Saker and his colleagues to clarify these issues, so it would be helpful to get source reference where it is explicitly clear what Shoigu’s religious affiliation is (simply because it is a salient piece of information that sets the context of Russia’s cultural and social change).

I don’t see why Gen. Shoigu would need a sign of the cross just to show respect. His attitude as he signed himself was clearly religious. No need to go through any motions, since no one expected this of him. Yes, it was a statement, but for it to make sense as such, it needs to be in harmony with his life. Russians are not fools.

@Dobero
Why do you assume that all Russians think the way you do and they can magically discern that the good General’s gesture was a sincere religious act or simply a gesture of respect or, more cynically, a political move to make himself more mainstream to a future electorate. I would not consider Russian people fools if they concluded that is just an act of respect.

Who says most of Russia was awed by this gesture? Some were, no doubt, but there is no evidence that most Russians were gushing with emotional gratitude that Gen Shoigu did honor to their religion.

Those who are gushing with emotion and gratitude are not necessarily fools but emotional and naive, letting their emotions cloud their judgment. This segment of Russian society does not represent the majority of the Russian people so you cannot generalize that Russian people are not fools nor can you infer that they are fools – any such judgment is not applicable to the majority of the population.

General Shoigu’s gesture may have been out of respect, because for people of the tolerant and inclusive traditions of the East (Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism), they will honor and carry out the religious customs of other religions as a sign of respect for the people that believe in that religion. So this is a real possibility WRT Shoigu and cannot be excluded. However it is also possible that it was simple a political signal or calculation, to further “mainstream” Gen. Shoigu.

No wonder you remained anonymous with such a nincompoop comment. I immediately thought of the great Tolstoy’s War and Peace when I saw this, immediately followed by the Soviet ban on religion. Although the Party banned it, I sincerely doubt that any Communist ever wiped religion from the hearts of this great people, who, as Putin noted, have suffered so much.

An outstanding parade, indeed! I hope that Minister Shoigu’s gesture, and I have no reason whatsoever to doubt his sincerity, is a reflection of his true feelings and not a propaganda gesture for the masses as so often happens in the West when anything religious is invoked, i.e.utterly hypocritical.

http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloud_of_Unknowing
“The Cloud of Unknowing (Middle English: The Cloude of Unknowyng) is an anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in Middle English in the latter half of the 14th century. The text is a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer in the late Middle Ages. The underlying message of this work suggests that the way to know God is to abandon consideration of God’s particular activities and attributes, and be courageous enough to surrender one’s mind and ego to the realm of “unknowing,” at which point, one may begin to glimpse the nature of God.”

It can be carried too far, of course, and I won’t argue against warranted consistency or intellectual integrity. Yet ambiguity is part of what we are, and uncertainty a fundamental part of the universe, and one should achieve a balance. Somethings are better expressed in Christian terms, others in Buddhist terms, and yet others in myriad religions and philosophies, or with art — language, art, thought, emotion, or being can be precise, or constrictive. No easy way out of it.

Blue – this seems to be as good a time as any to express my appreciation of, and gratitude for your always excellent and insightful posts. My thanks to you, all the posters generally, and more specifically the wonderful moderators, and of course Saker for this very real community.
My best to all of you on this great day!

Things are not black and white, sure, oligarchs have their own interests to fulfil. There will always be the more fortunate and well-off, the very fortunate and well-off, and the not-so fortunate and well-off, and the very unfortunate and poor…

The problem with the current state of the world is the extent of control the elite 1% has on the rest of the world.

And no, the oligarchs do not act as one. Just like in the ancient world of empires, the oligarchs all want a bigger piece of the cake (empire). And the oligarch has teams, aka the Anglo-Zionists, elite 1%, represented by the fronts of IMF and Federal reserve, and the China-Russia team.

Don’t bash me for calling everyone oligarchs, because with power, and wealth, yes, they are oligarchs, but it is not necessarily bad. Life is not about equality, but social mobility. A normal Chinese can become a Chinese oligarch, but he is never going to become a elite 1% oligarch in the Anglo-Zionist world :P

This gesture unites the people of Russia spiritually around the task of defending the Motherland.
It also looks like a message to the West: “Look, we are dead serious and we are ready. Defending our country is a sacred duty that originates in our deepest beliefs. If attacked or provoked, we will not back down.” In addition, this was a hidden warning to Israel and Netanyahu who is pushing the U.S and Europe to war against Russia and its Middle Eastern allies.

It is to be expected that the west will see DM Shoigu’s move as some sort of theater. They obviously are projecting. Since every single movement and gesture of western politicians is calculated and rehearsed, the assumption is that that **must** be what others do. Schemers and deceivers cannot imagine an honest man. He must be playing some sort of angle that they haven’t figured out yet.

And congratulations to Russia (and the whole world even if it does not appreciate the wonderful gift it received) on victory day. We’ll remember always.

It sent shivers down my spine.
I switched the TV on and the first thing I saw was Shoigu making the (Orthodox) sign of the Cross.
The images from the streets of Moscow confirmed, Russia is ready.
Anyone else?

I’m also a Buddhist and Orthodox Christian and I can say with absolute certainty that there is no contradictions in this gesture. Buddhism is not a religion per say, it is a science of life:” If you see Buddha – spit on Buddha” said Buddha. Unfortunately, the western version of Buddhist transition is corrupted by the CIA and therefore cannot be taken seriously.

This is my personal opinion and observation based on what I witnessed while staying in Buddhist monasteries in Italy, California, Canada and UK. If you’re familiar with the life of Cogyam Tungpa then you should ask your self some obvious questions, not about his teachings but how he got what he got while living in UK and the US. I’d like to elaborate more then that but I’m not very good at verbalizing my thoughts through writings.

buddhism is definitely a religion. All religions have the more structured side and the more spiritual side. It is however basically aetheistic, certainly not monotheistic, so if Shoigu is a convinced Lama Buddhist he’s not asking no god for no help. Lama Buddhists have a number of spiritual god-like beings that are overt metaphors for concepts within the religion.

Anyway, one can expect that the particular biases of a proud descendant of the white russian diaspora will jump with glee over Shoigu’s gesture.

Buddhism does not demand blind faith and Buddha gives no guarantees of deliverance or salvation. In fact, there are no promises in Buddhism. The starting point of Buddhism is reasoning and understanding.

To the seekers of truth the Buddha says:

“Do not accept anything on (mere) hearsay — (i.e., thinking that thus have we heard it for a long time). Do not accept anything by mere tradition — (i.e., thinking that it has thus been handed down through many generations). Do not accept anything on account of mere rumors — (i.e., by believing what others say without any investigation). Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures. Do not accept anything by mere suppositions. Do not accept anything by mere inference. Do not accept anything by merely considering the reasons. Do not accept anything merely because it agrees with your pre-conceived notions. Do not accept anything merely because it seems acceptable — (i.e., thinking that as the speaker seems to be a good person his words should be accepted). Do not accept anything thinking that the ascetic is respected by us (therefore it is right to accept his word).

“But when you know for yourselves — these things are immoral, these things are blameworthy, these things are censured by the wise, these things, when performed and undertaken conduce to ruin and sorrow — then indeed do you reject them.

“When you know for yourselves — these things are moral, these things are blameless, these things are praised by the wise, these things, when performed and undertaken, conduce to well-being and happiness — then do you live acting accordingly.”

In other words, you cannot attain much by sitting on someone else’s shoulders and there is no Buddha outside of you, you got to earn it within yourself.

One night Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree, and meditated until dawn. He purified his mind of all defilements and attained enlightenment at the age of thirty-five, thus earning the title Buddha, or “Enlightened One”.

I was 30 years a Buddhist and a student oft Trungpa, turning now Orthodox and I second your assertion. Buddhismus and especially Tibetan Buddhism in the west is mainly a tool of social engeneering by CIA and others. But I also do not want to go more deeply into this now. Cheers Saker, that was really an uplifting post.

[MOD:
Absolutely. The re-engineered Buddhism in the West is a farce. You have to go to Burma to meet the original Buddhism says “Theravada” the less polluted by local customs and flounces of the countries where it operates. The Theravada meditation is a “tool” of extraordinary power for the person is doing it.]

I am a western Buddhist, and I have been taught the Buddha’s noble teachings through a tradition that comes largely from Tibet. Buddhist practice and doctrine in Tibet seems to have suffered some centuries of corruption, but in the last century or two, a movement known as Rime (“ree-may”), through the blessings of the Dharma and the character of many realized masters, gathered a vast array of teachings into a pure body of knowledge that any student can experience to discover for oneself and by one’s own efforts the truth of the nature of reality. It was this Rime lineage that came to the west from Tibet after the Chinese invasion.

The teachings received in the west from the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages, from the new, terma-based lineage of Shambhala, and from other, perhaps somewhat smaller lineages and transmissions, all in close harmony with the body of Zen wisdom that came even earlier and largely from Japan, are universally held to be pure teachings. The words of the Buddha himself are readily available, the translation groups and individuals that exist have demonstrated good hearts and clear minds.

The Heart Sutra is chanted daily throughout the west, and in my own lineage Refuge vows and Bodhisattva vows are earnestly taken each year by practitioners on the path.

I was raised as a Christian, and taught the basic doctrine in Sunday School as a child. I became alienated from Christianity, and sought a spiritual path that I could actually use to move forward closer to the sacred. When I became a Buddhist I discovered the great joy of being able to talk now to earnest and committed Christians, to discuss elements of their practice path, their goals, prayers and aspirations. Discussions between Buddhists and Christians in the west have been in my experience the most sacred of conversations I have ever held in lay company. Perhaps I can say, in a slightly humorous way, that good Christians are always ready to believe the Holy Ghost is immanent, and Buddhists strive daily to become purified enough not to stand in its way. I will say that talks between myself and other Buddhists with devout Christians are charged at the level of each word and phrase with the holy energy of this life, holiness that we that we often filter out in our mundane grasping for negativity as a reinforcement of ego, a protection against groundlessness.

I have often wondered how many truly serious Buddhist practitioners are to be found in the nominally Buddhist nations – just as I have noticed that in the nominally Christian nations, much lip service is given for one hour a week, and no serious practice of the Christian path is undertaken.

Look to the converts for the freshest and most earnest faith, perhaps?

I will attest from my own experience, from the witness of my own eyes and ears and heart, that the westerners I have met, who by and large were raised as Christian, and who have voluntarily adopted the Buddhist path of calm abiding, insight and purification in order to help all beings to become enlightened – these people are very sincere Buddhists, and they study the vast and profound teachings of the Buddha with pure intention and with a practice of training to reduce self-interest.

The excellent news then, to go with this profound gesture from Russia, is that the peace and celebration of diversity to be found in Buddhism is very alive and well in the west. It may yet prove to be the cushion upon which the west can fall. Arnold Toynbee said back in the last century that the most momentous event in western history of the 19th and 20th centuries – out of all the events – was the coming of Buddhism, which has brought a civilizing framework and a compassionate fellowship with all indigenous religions, to every place in the world it has ever landed.

I don’t have how much of a practicing Buddhist – or Christian – Mr Shoygu is, but I know good company when I’m around it, and he strikes me as one of the best. My heart goes out to him and his striving in the midst of war to connect with the sacred world that lies not even a micron under the dirt and confusion of the world we so often see, and which we believe to be everything.

Yes I saw this on RT and their English/Russian commentators completely missed this (infact ruined the whole presentation with a load of inconsequential BBC style gibberish).

I had never seen a Defence Minister cross himself before at the start of the parade and wondered whether I was “seeing things”.

Two years ago I moved away from the Marxist politically correct Church of England (gay marriages, female bishops and its Jewish Archbishop of Canterbury) and turned towards the Russian Orthodox Church.

I recognised the hesitancy of the sign of the cross of a man signing to the world that he has placed homself at the feet of Christ in everything he does.

The Jews that run Europe and the USA will be horrified. They hate Putin because he is the only leader of a major power who is a practicing Christian (and a university trained economist).

To find the Defence Minister is assured enough to openly state his Christian belief (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me” is the prayer Shoigu probably said as he crossed himself for any reader unsure of what was happening), must have given the Zionists a raised eyebrow or two…a spiritual straight finger.

The western media concentrates on claiming Putin is saying the west is not playing by the rules…while ignoring that their new Hitler (the old one was funded by a certain Zionist called Mr Rothchild as a sort of IS trial run) is a compassionate Christian.

The Marxist inspired western liberal elites have their nickers in a twist. There is nothing they hate more than a genuine Christian who is NOT a paedophile. They look upon Christians as losers and adore child abusing Islamists and Jews and their quisling white fellow travellers.

Shoigu said in that one gesture of Christian symbolism that is the cross of an individual in Christ: “Here we are, God, Russia and her army standing before the wrath of Satan and his Empire of Chaos.”

“RT and their English/Russian commentators completely missed this (infact ruined the whole presentation with a load of inconsequential BBC style gibberish).”

Yes, I watched it live on RT (Internet) and it was very poor production. Skipping off to watch seagulls bobbing on the water at Sevastopol while the Moscow main event was in progress! No shots of the foreign troops etc. Abysmal. Completely ruptured the mood.

However it did not have the idiot BBC factor.

I watched the Moscow parade again on you tube and how out of tune they were with the tone of the moment. The main anchor could not even tell what was a tank and complained about them being all green. What a limp wrist! There is something seriously wrong with this Russian need to pander to the degenerate western idioms. They should just get up and do their own bloody thing and stop pandering to this apparent need for acceptance! They are never going to get it from the parasite classes.

Actually, in spite of Saker’s jubilation, I thought is was somewhat subdued compared to last year where it was clear that the Russian spirit had awoken and a new pride in the voices and steps of the young men following Putin’s (then) recent strategic victories in Crimea etc. This year it was technically well done but seemed more cautious — perhaps so as to underplay any “aggressive Russian” memes etc.

All in all, well done and I enjoy watching it. I may well try and be in Moscow one day for it.

Btw, I think it is about time that, with all due respects of course, the tomb of Lenin (all covered in this event) was quietly moved off-site to another location for tourists etc. He’s had his day and the ‘sign of the cross’ at the start makes this a next natural step for Russia to move on (and up) with its grand history under the great Russian navigator, V. Putin.

I won’t venture any comment on the “gesture” and talking to “God”. However, I wish to congratulate the Russian people as they celebrate the seventieth anniversary of their enormously costly victory over Nazi Germany and wish them every success now and in the future as one of the great peoples and cultures of the human species. Perhaps someday the wealthy and powerful will realize the only way for human kind to reach our potential is for justice, mercy and kindness to extended to all. Long live Russian and long live Canada. May these two nations and peoples find common ground in the near future.

Sorry, but I doubt the spontaneity of his act as the camera was alert to capture it. Cynical am I, yes! But just the same it did break with tradition, as Saker noted. But just to be fair, he should have followed it with a boisterous Allah Akbar, given the importance of Islam in Russia’s melting pot and near abroad.

I wonder what was said during tonight’s speeches and uttered in conversations around the most important state dinners. I do think we can conclude that the Sino/Soviet Split is over and produced a partnership few would have dreamt of 60 years ago.

Tonight at my table, I will toast those who liberated Europe while lamenting that it will need to be liberated once again.

If was deliberate, and not spontaneous, it is that much more significant.

I don’t know his mind, but I see no unresolvable contradiction between being Buddhist and orthodox — a Buddhist Orthodox Christian — like being multilingual — with both systems expressing deeper and mysterious spiritual things, in different ways.

I hope the disbelievers who see today’s celebration understand that the message to the Ukraine, to the EU, to NATO, to the Hegemon and all its targeting officers and station chiefs, private contractors, neo-nazis and Russophobes is Putin has already decided. And his entire military and Intel establishment has it planned. And his people are 100% behind him.

Novorossiya, like Crimea, like the Motherland, is Russian.

And when, if it is necessary, the Russians who come to defend will not be polite men in green.

And behind them stand China and several other nations, all stakeholders in the defense of Russian interests.

The historical parallels between Ireland versus Britain and Ukraine versus Muscovite Russia are many.—
Crimea was not originally Russian. The Russians conquered it by military force, in the 1700’s I believe. I note a map of ancient Kyivan Rus
from 1054-1132 A.D. where the southenmost tip of Crimea and the area around Kerch, and then part of the Kuban region, then known as Tmutorakan Rus, being parts of the realm, as well as Bila Vezha “White Tower” around the old Khazar capital city on the Don River. —But why should territory seized by military efforts be somehow more valid than territory added by an administrative peaceful decision? Yet that is the underlying assumption in the overall debate
about Crimea, that it rightfully belongs to Russia, because it the Russians conquered it militarily,
while the peaceful administrative transfer of it to Ukraine was not right and not valid. Ukraine itself has been deemed “artificial” and invalid, insofar as it was supposedly created by various peaceful administrative transfers, rather than by military force of conquering and holding, one presumes?
Just look at this!—What a strange, backward and barbaric kind of attitude, that military force and conquest would be superior and more valid.

Going on with the Irish versus British comparison,—Novorussia and Donbass in Ukraine are indeed much like Northern Ireland is as to the rest of Ireland. Northern Ireland is populated by die-hard loyalists to the British Crown who would never agree to be ruled from Dublin, and who probably wish that Britain would simply come in, reconquer the rest of Ireland and put an end to the Irish “statelet” once and for all. This is like Novorussia being populated by persons who want to rejoin Russia and who would want Russia to simply come on, reconquer the rest of Ukraine and put an end to the Ukrainian “statelet” once and for all.

The Irish even had their own famine event, which has been also called a type of genocide by the British, not so much by deliberate onslaught and murder but more opportunistic and passive-aggressive, that the British government did little or nothing to alleviate the starving Irish, just let them starve, while exporting ships filled with grain from Ireland to England.—Looks like food based on grain was too good for the lowly Irish to eat, while the suitable potatoes happened to be rotting away through infectious blight.
See “Ireland Recognizes Gift from Choctaw Nation” article in The Irish Herald, for May/2015 or Bealtaine/2015 [in Irish Gaelic], page 1.

Control by force is the main thing, and who is to be the master.—It is said that the Ukrainian government now serves the USA government and the English-speaking globalists as the master. But for Ukrainians, could any master be worse than the government in Moscow has been ever since 1654? Had the Ukrainians back in the 1600’s found some personage of royal lineage, not from Poland and not from Muscovy, to establish a throne in Kyiv and establish a suitable independent kingdom of Ukraine,—because in those days there could be no sovereign state without some monarch at its head,—could the Ukrainians have fared any worse than how they are faring today, after their long involvement with the Russian “ship of state” and its many dire upheavals, wars, rulerships by terror and mass murder, etc.?

We are where we are. The question is not about whether military campaigns 300 years ago are better or worse than administrative edicts 50 years ago. It’s about the pragmatics of the present.

We know that ethnic cleansing is the order of the day, and we know where that “order” derives from, with the tiresome, omnipresent backdrop in every major conflict of USA puppeteers and their various machinations, military adventurism, colour revs, R2P, fiscal bribery, cultural subversion, “charitable” work, etc. etc.). We know, for instance, that the Baltic republics are bristling to be cleansed of their sizeable Russian populations, and we know the source of the goading towards that end. We know that the Kiev, DC, junta is actively cleansing those areas under its thumb and have been trying in the most brutal of ways imaginable to cleanse areas it has lost.

We know that the USA “doesn’t do diplomacy”, preferring the bully’s mode, and in the end will have to be taught the lesson of the bully through military force, however reluctantly the free world is forced to serve that lesson. In the circumstances of where we are, talking about historical niceties in political behaviour seems somewhat arcane.

Did anyone noticed the now Ukrainian (former Soviet) Airplain AN-124 taking part in the parade? I wonder, what was the reason to show this airplane today and there. I by myself was confused to see it by I suspect a background I don’t know. Has anybody an explanation therefor? Thx for suggestions.

No huge mystery. They have about 25 of them as Air Force transports; they are slowly being refurbished, totally overhauled, to give them an extra 20-25 years of life. Maybe they just wanted to show off a really big plane? They had a few refueling tankers, too. Those are Ilyushins.

You know i’m not so ecstatic about all this ramping up of religion. Living in the west for many years it is in general nice to meet many people that are either atheist, agnostic, or religious by name only. And then you stumble on some really backward people from the other isle and wonder why they are not walking on all 4s if everything in the past is always great and nothing needs to change (ie christian dogma). I would not look forward to having more of that type of citizen in my country.

In general i see no great benefit for russia in binding itself to dogma that is supposed to be around 2000 years old and all the craziness that comes with it. Don’t forget Religion has always been used by those in power to keep those without power in their place with a carrot of the so called after life. Go look up how the gentry in Europe used the clergy to keep peasants from taking their share. And i get that it is about branding us vs them, east vs west, orthodaxy vs roman christianitty but there are better ways, literature, movies, songs, sports, architecture, language, …
I think one of the best things the USSR did was create an educated, literate, atheist population. I am all for a strong and independent Russia (and although i am liberal by the States criteria) i am not a liberal by russian nomenclature. I would say i am eurasianist in that respect. However this anti-gay pro religion stuff has no place in the west nor in the east. IT is fine to find another identitiy as you step away from soviet past but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. for those of you not familiar with that idiom i think by indicriminatly stepping to far away from the soviet past in certain parts we step away into a direction that is worse not better.
IMHO
misha

One of my old tag lines was:
‘Your religion is about god and you, not about god and me’.

I’ll still go with that. I see below the link to an article by Pat Buchanan, talking about ‘Judeo-Christian values’ as if religion had some monopoly on morality or ethics.

It’s too easy for people to carried away with religious beliefs, and before long the ‘masters of the world’, as they sometimes term themselves, are using that to start religious wars to further their agenda. Divide and conquer works pretty well if they can divide by religion. It’s very dangerous stuff.

Not religious myself, I see an often greater danger in what happens to our ´religious lobe´ in secular society: a segment of the population might religiously adhere to a secular doctrine, like nationalism, communism, fascism or neoliberalism (with at its core the toxic doctrines of Ayn Rand). It is not the teachings or the movements itself, but the way it is perceived and handled.

These pseudo religions have caused more death and destruction than all the religions combined.

Those you mention can be considered religions (except perhaps for a ‘god part’, but the belief structures are very similar, perhaps more extreme and toxic/destructive than many religious believers.

I happen to think communism is an excellent ideology in core principles, but not plenary nor complete, and not to be taken uncritically. The others I find more problematic, even if there are some aspects which can be useful if used with caution. But the root problem is belief — strongly thinking a thing without evidence or valid cause, with emotion and stubborness.

Belief is one of the tools used in various forms of magick, to gather and concentrate psychic and ‘cosmic’ energy, and can be a dangerous trap. A similar problem is reported to arise with Buddhist or Hindu meditation techniques: abilities and powers can arise and distract, and destroy spiritual progress, turning to evil. Jesus’ temptation — another story of the same thing.

The resolution must be education or training, and warnings, to help avoid these traps, and oversight by those with more wisdom — to turn away from ‘the dark side of the force’. It’s an old theme expressed in many ways and many traditions, but the root is the same: do not go down the path of pride, greed, and evil. But these things are not often spoken about now in the modern ‘civilized’ world, and not well understood.

So we have ‘greed is good’ to General Greedlove — the out of control ego and lust for power, the hubris the Greeks warned of over 2,000 years ago, leading to destruction of self and others (whether obvious and seen, or not). The answer is as it always was — but not so easy to attain: mindful awareness of self and the universe needs to be taught.

Putin Again speaks Truth to Power-to appropriate what I have always felt was an over used term in Western Intellectual quarters from people that wouldn’t walk across the street to help you up if you had a heart attack let alone sacrifice their life for country and kin. And once again we see the difference between a World Class Leader and a sock puppet like Obama. The Emancipation of the Species has begun! Hurrah!

I normally do not watch military parades; they are generally filled with pomp, circumstance and trite commercialism that sullies the solemnness of the historical events remembered. But the Russian Federation conducted this grand extravaganza of patriotic homage for the millions of fallen heroes with dignity and grace only a nation that has suffered time and time again can appreciate. If I didn’t know better, I would lean to believe the organizers of the Olympic games in Sochi gave counsel and advice to government officials on how best to present with the proper decorum befitting the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Red Army.

President Putin’s speech was memorable for the Russian people as I understood the English translation. He spoke with the eloquence of a seasoned official and someone who knows how to reach his people on an emotional level. In the opening of the procession he walked carrying a photograph of his own father who was killed in the war, thereby solidifying a direct link with the common man and woman he and his government serves and protects. But his words were not only of the glory of war or the power of the State or of the Soviet leadership; he told a story of sacrifice, of families losing loved ones, of courage and tenacity and the will of Russia
to defend itself against an evil that believed it was superior, it was the master race, it was exceptional. Ultimately the Nazi’s could not conquer what is an always will be, unconquerable; the Russian soul.

Mr. Putin demonstrated his statesmanship by acknowledging the contribution of the United States and Great Britain that led to victory in Europe. He never misses an opportunity to extend the olive branch of peace and cooperation, even with known adversaries. Each time the Russian president addresses the press he does so with patience and a reality of the situation at hand. He is one of the great leaders of the 21st century.

I am embarrassed Washington, DC could be so filled with conceit and arrogance to not pay its respects to such a monumental achievement by the Russian people just like they ignored the beautiful exposition of the Olympic games in Sochi; all for petty politics. How far America has fallen from the world’s stage of diplomacy, no longer a great country. The people wander about in a social networking stupor, oblivious to the machinations planned by the fascists whose greed and lust for wealth and power is insatiable.

Q; I am embarrassed Washington, DC could be so filled with conceit and arrogance to not pay its respects to such a monumental achievement by the Russian people just like they ignored the beautiful exposition of the Olympic games in Sochi; all for petty politics.

R; Right there with you.

Obombi should do the right thing and hand over his Peace prize to Mr. Putin [so Mr. Nobel can stop spinning in his grave].

Yup, been praying since the 2008 Georgia war. I started late but did not wake up to the New Cold War before then. Funny thing is, when I pray for Russia, the blessing sort of bleeds over to help my own country, too.

My local library uses IE8, which downloaded this page, but balked at “Today’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow mark a turning point in Russian history”. It claimed this was a MIME file, which IE does not recognise, and asked if I wanted to search the web for software to download it.

This happens quite often. It also happens with RT – a direct link will sometimes be successful, but more often is rejected as unrecognisable.

I extend the most profound respect, as a materialist, to all lovers of humanity for that is how i read Shoigu’s gesture.

It is not just respect, it is my certainty, my own very belief and conviction, with teared eyes, that our fight is the same, that brotherhood and comeradeship will have the most significant of us shoulder to shoulder, unbrakeable.

It is the humbling responsability for those who accept it but specially for those who assume it for anyone to who must see.

Orthodoxy: The gesture is clear. Russia is not a melting pot like the US where everything melts down into a grey goo of unprincipled, meaningless religion in a society of inter changeable parts/people which is fueled by greed. Russia is Rus, Orthodox and run as such with all respect given to minority religions and languages: that is its strength. That is what Shoigu as a Buddhist was swearing to protect with this gesture as Minister of Defense. I think it was from the depth of Buddhist humility and surrender of any clinging to the false identity of a fixed “I”. but really How he was conceptualizing this personally is between him and his higher consciousness or , if you please , God. Everything else is speculation. mea culpa for that, too.

Here again it is Sanjay the Indian. As you all might be knowing I am born Hindu. It is our very deep belief that nothing happen without devineness and particularly the event of this magnimous nature the devine intervention is must.
Some of you might remember that in my previous writing I said that the “Truth, Rightousness, and Devinity” are must for the protection of the not only the “so called Humanity(humanity is the western or Anglo propaganda which really doesn’t have any meaning)” but rather the COSMOS. A couple of folks reacted to my that statement but just wanted a WAR to its final conclusion of what they might like and that too soon. If some of you read my some writings on this forum I have always said that “WAR is CERTAIN and it must be just I don’t know when it would start”. I also said that it must be delayed as much as possible because once it starts we would be asking “WHEN it is going to END”.

A true warrior can’t bring the WAR to its conclusion until he/she has the devinity in him/her. DEVINE intervention is must and DEVINE intervention would be with side where “THE TRUTH and Rightousness” are.
Looking into the history and the patterns of the west it is my personal observation( with some exceptions) it does not believe in the devinity rather it believes in market. Hence it would loose and loosing in many ways we would see in our life time. The EAST has many things to offer physical(material) and metaphysical.

I am very happy to see that on this forum people are finally started to realize and understanding what devinity means(may be). Those are who devine, for them there is no difference between Jesus and Budha and Shiva etc. For us Hindus, Jesus is same as Budha.

Of course it is a great and magnificient event to see the Chief of Defence of Russia is asking permission from Devine and he “must”. As in Indian Great WAR ” The Mahabharata”, the great warrior Arjuna with having all devine weapon still asking permission and devine blessing from Lord Krishna. Isn’t it Interesting. We should all look for this devinity……..

Buddhist or Orthodox?
Relations between Buddhism and Orthodoxy have a long history. They have intensified before the Revolution, through the increase of interest for the East of Russian orientalists and like Prince Esper Ukhtomsky and Tsar Nicholas II himself, artists like Nicholas Roerich and Buddhists like Agvan Dorzhiev and the famous Doctor Piotr Badmaev (who actually converted to Orthodoxy).

Just a few excerpts from Wiki (literature is large enough; see Andrei Znamenski, Red Shambhala: Magic, Prophecy, and Geopolitics in the Heart of Asia, 2011, for more up-to-date information)

“Since the days of Catherine II – the ‘Great’ (1729–1796) the Romanov rulers had been considered by Russian lamaists as the incarnation of White Tara, a female bodhisattva typically associated with Buddhist tantric practice and considered an emanation of Chenresig (the bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas), and the protectress of the Tibetan people. 1913 saw the great celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov. Dorzhiev made speeches thanking the Tsar for his essential support for the Buddhist community in Saint Petersburg. A lama named Ulyanov published a book that same year attempting to prove that the Romanovs were directly descended from Sucandra, a legendary king of Shambhala….
“By the 1890s Dorzhiev had begun to spread the story that Russia was the mythical land of Shambhala to the north; that its Czar might be the one to save Buddhism and that the White Tsar was an emanation of White Tara, raising hopes that he would support Tibet and its religion. Dorzhiev had suggested to the Tibetans that Russia seemed to be embracing Buddhist ideas since their recent advances into Mongolia and might prove a useful balance to British intrigues. In the spring of 1900 Dorzhiev returned to Russia with six other representatives from Thubten Gyatso (born 12 February 1876; died 17 December 1933), the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet. They travelled through India and met the Tsar at the Livadia Palace in Crimea. “When they returned they brought to Lhasa a supply of Russian arms and ammunition as well—paradoxically enough—as a magnificent set of Russian Episcopal robes as a personal present for the Dalai Lama….
The Japanese monk Ekai Kawaguchi travelled in Tibet from July 4, 1900 to June 15, 1902. He reported in his Three Years in Tibet that Dorzhiev “circulated a pamphlet in which he argued that the Russian Tsar was about to fulfil the old Buddhist messianic myth of Shambhala by founding a great Buddhist empire.”

Now, there might be an ocean of similarities and understanding and sympathy between Buddhism and Christianity, but to be an Orthodox, baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity is obligatory.

Shoigu, Bagration, Stalin, Lenin, Catherine, Rokossowski, Miller, Rurik, how many Ukrainian names can we add here and many others are Russian patriots. He will not go down in history because he crossed himself in the Orthodox fashion, he will go down in history like all others who served Russia with valour regardless of their nationality. All nations send their young men and women into battle with “God is with us”, but when the soldier dies he is clutching his intestines pushing them back into his body , defecating and urinating into his uniform and calling for his mother not his God, flag or country like many Americans did in Vietnam and I am sure many Russians did in Afghanistan. Shoigu will go down in history as an example of Russian inclusiveness. Our media did not show the parade, but I did not expect it. I went to some of the links that your blog provided –loved the headdress of the East Indians, the Serbs looked as tall as the Kremlin wall, all looked like they were having fun.

Regarding the question of whether Shoigu is Buddhist or Orthodox, he could easily be both. Years ago (early 90’s) a friend had her family visiting the west coast from New York. She had a cousin, also, who lived at a Buddhist monastery on the west coast, so a day was planned to bring the New York relatives over to visit the cousin in the monastery.

The friend’s family out visiting were very kosher New York Jews (2 refrigerators for specific food types, for example), the friend herself was more west coast acclimatised (west coast Jews tend to be a lot more agnostic than east coast Jews), her significant other, for example, was not Jewish. I mention this info because the Buddhist cousin was raised Jewish and later became Buddhist after moving west. We were sitting around talking about religion and the friend’s father (being a rather chauvinist Jew) asked the cousin about his becoming Buddhist and whether that meant renouncing Judaism. The cousin told him that being Buddhist did not mean one could not be also of another religion. This appeared to floor the father. It was obvious he had not encountered such thinking before.

I’ve met quite a few Buddhists who also thought of themselves as other religions, as well. Even Fred T. Jane (the guy who started the famous Jane’s naval, air and military yearlies) wrote about it in a 1905 book on the Japanese navy in a section of their views of religion. He described how the Japanese would practice both Buddhism and Christianity without thinking there was any contradiction to this.

So from a Buddhist viewpoint, there is nothing wrong with also practicing another religion, or three, as well.

Also I noticed a misconception posted in the comments above about Buddhism being a “peaceful” religion. This is a common non-Buddhist view of Buddhism that is a misunderstanding of Buddhism. Buddhists can be violent, peaceful, friendly, hostile, stoic, gregarious, they can be all facets of humanity, in both its worst and its best and all in between. This is also why they can also be of other religions.

Buddhism is not a religion in the sense of most western views of religion. While most people who practice Buddhism do so not unlike westerners (with rules and rituals, etc.), Buddhism is really about being a tool to awake consciousness. The rituals, the rules, on the surface are designed to keep people civilised in their relations with each other, like with all religions, but at the same time to engage an awakening of something deeper in the connections between beings (and “non-beings”, too). This latter aspect of Buddhism shows the strong connection of Buddhism to older belief practices often conveniently lumped together generally as Shamanism or Paganism. I’ve long thought of Buddhism as a more modern sophistication of these older practices, a way of returning to them for people no longer connected to these old ways due to massive societal changes and who no longer had a memory of them.

From a Buddhist angle, yes. From a Christian one, I suppose it depends upon what sort of Christian one is. My relating the story about the kosher Jew/Buddhist-Jew meeting was intended to example that sort of conflict. The conflict is the resistance to understanding that religion is not a narrowly defined thing that can only be thought of in one way.

“There remains always the nagging question: “No one can serve two masters”

Why should anyone serve any master? That is the the pathetic mentality of a slave or a “prison bitch”. It’s also totally irrelevant to Buddhism if one understands what Buddhism is about. In Buddhism one is the master and one is also the servant.

Buddhism is a watered-down and grossly distorted version of what Gautama Buddha, after he attained Samadhi, was teaching to his disciples who numbered ten-thousand and more.

What did he teach? His very own experience. Not how to belief in God but how to transform yourself, how to attain enlightenment, how to become a “god” yourself. Those who attained Samadhi, Buddha sent away to other parts of the India, where they would continue sharing the Dharma with eager seekers.

Buddha’s way is completely pragmatic and scientific. He never discussed any metaphysics. If an atheist would come to him to ask if God exists, he answered “Yes”. When a believer in God asked the same question, his answer was “No”. Thus saying that beliefs are shallow mind-stuff, direct experience is required.

“If your interest is more than just intellectual, come with me, become a monk and i can guide you”, Buddha would say, “so that you can find out for yourself.”

Thus is the core of Gautama Buddha’s teaching and of all true religions. A direct transmission master to disciple, heart-to-heart, being-to-being, soul-to-soul.

I hope the following traditional proverb of peace and tranquility in your northern Indo-Aryan dialect (of Punjabi, Haryani, Puhaardi, and Sairaki) will help you remember to be respectful of others and help spread peaceful thoughts, not be a slave (gulaam) to hate and not induce anger (Theray Barah Vajah) in others:

– spoken by Guru I.P.S. Gill just before helping many armed criminals, traitors and murderers attain enlightment and a Dharshan with Lord Yamraj.

That mercenary and mass-murderer, Gen Zia ul Haq rejected the path of peace and tranquility, opting instead for fomenting murder and chaos against his own people and both his neighbours. Thanks to his greed ($US) and hubris, he ended up picking a fight with the Soviet Union that lead to his utter destruction. How did this Islamist Wahabist General end-up? He ended up being burned alive along with his entire general staff, 2 American Generals and the US ambassador to Pakistan in plane crash arranged for by the Soviets as a parting shot for the General’s contribution to Soviet-Afghan war. Now if the General had only opted for the path of peace and tranquility, so many lives would have been spared.

There is too much violence and anger in the world, we need peace and tranquility: That starts with each individual making personal decisions to not engage in “midnight lunacy” and not spread further hate and anger to others. So dear Singh, why don’t you get a handle on your “barah-vajay” behavior? ;-)

Buddhism is a watered-down and grossly distorted version of what Gautama Buddha, after he attained Samadhi,

That is sort of unfair. :(

The teachings morphed over time, like many centuries, due to regional culture and political existences. There are several forms of Buddhism, and they can be quite different from each other. The core has always been the same though, it was how to get there, with all that cultural and political baggage, and not to mention the day to day personal drama… ;D

There was a famous monk who complained, already centuries ago, that in the old days, people could achieve enlightenment at the drop of a hat, and that “now” (in his time) people had to spend years working diligently, using all sorts of practices, to attained an enlightened state.

It’s his professional duty to mobilize ALL powers and motivations of Russia on the eve of big war. Stalin was also seeking reconcilliation with Orthodox Church after German’s invasion… I take it for evidence how close to this war we are now.

But Buddhism and Christianity are. All other religions are. People fail to understand the uniqueness of Christ, of His mission in the world, of His Church.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John, 10, 7-10).

The Victory Parades, both in Moscow and throughout Russia and the CIF, were fabulous and heart-warming to behold (alas, also not in person). Particularly moving were those held in the towns of the Donetsk and Lugansk PRs.

One thing that troubled me about the Moscow one (poor management somewhere along the line) was that M. Shoigu was left to stand throughout the duration of M. Putin’s oration. True, Putin himself would probably have been expecting Shoigu to take his vacated seat; but Shoigu is far too respectful and aware of protocol to have done any such thing. So, we were left with Shoigu modestly standing behind and to the side, while everyone else was seated. Furthermore, to me it was clear that guest President M. Xi was aware of this protocol gaffe and feeling awkward about it. He looked uncomfortably towards the standing Shoigu several times, and at the vacant seat beside him, and you could almost see him thinking If only protocol could allow me to offer him my own seat or take M. Putin’s.

Maybe not the time or place,but I just mention in passing the Guardian choice on this festival weekend is to highlight a book describing the actions of the Red Army in Berlin and detailed description of their ‘victory’ behavior upon the women of that city.no link,I don’t think it’s worth contaminating yourself reading.
Then the Independent,clearly in tandem,produces an article on abuse of women in Russia today.again,no link,search if you must.

I am just so sick of the western media,dirty ,lowdown,slaves that they are to the Empire.

If religion was an important consideration in Russian strategy, Shoigu, etc. wouldn’t sell billion dollars worth of sophisticated weapons to Muslim Azerbaijan to use against Christian Armenia. Azerbaijan forces almost daily shoot at Armenian soldiers while Ilham Aliyev regularly threatens Armenia with war. Armenia has a population of 2 million. Oil-rich Azerbaijan has 9 million. The Azeri military budget is larger than all of Armenia’s budget. But still Russia sells weapons to Baku. Incidentally, Russia is supposed to be an ally of Armenia. This must be the first time in history that an ally openly sells weapons to its allies deadly enemy.

“Today will go down in Russian history, as a truly historical celebration of the victory over Nazi Germany.”

This statement belies the facts as they are today concerning events following the end of WW2.

The conundrum that presently exists with respect to Russia and the West succinctly illustrates the fact that Russia (in 1945, and under the Bolshevik/Soviet/Jew-controlled system) was instrumental in aiding and abetting the West (also then, as now, controlled by Zionist Jewish interests) in its ultimate destruction of National Socialist Germany thus precipitating all future events that now places the Russian federation in the predicament that it finds itself.

I see nothing to celebrate here with respect to Russia other than the gesture of Defense Minister Shoigu making the sign of the Cross.

The Truth is that Russia is still in denial as to its former culpability with respect to the Zionist controlled West.

” In placing himself and all of Russia in God’s hands, Shoigu declared a spiritual, cultural and civilizational war on the Empire. And just for that, he will go down in history as one of Russia’s greatest men.”

We need spiritual help in this fighting, because the doors of hell are opened and we have to counter attack darkeness with Christ. It is said in catholic tradition that “freedom”, spiritual fredoom will come fro Russia, and in the end both Russia and China will convert to christianity.

An “Intellectual” is the person taking place in public affairs, having wide knowledge of public activities, and being devoted to national well-being.

So liberals can’t be intellectuals, as they are not devoted to national, but only to own well-being. Much of them haven’t got any knowledge, but they are very interested in “dolce vita” – which recommends them for 5-th column. But in their ignorance they believe that knowledge of internet, few training courses of destabilization of state and serving enemy – make them specialists for everything.

If we try make a distinction between Buddhism and Orthodoxy it is to remind that Russia is a predominantly, essentially Christian country. Buddhism in Russia is a tiny minority, barely 700,000 people. In Tuva it represents only 61% of a population of 307,930 ( 2010 Census). Buddhism is the majority religion only in Kalmykia (37.6% for a population of 289,481- 201- Census). It is not clear whether Buddhism is a growing religion. Rather not. In actual fact it is a quite recent phenomenon. The Kalmyks migrated to their present location only in the 17th Century.
It is likely that the you would not see in Russia developing the kind of western attitude of “I was a Christian, but now I am alienated, but I discovered the profundity of Buddhism which is superior to Christianity, because it does not believe in god and is not a religion.” Russia is returning to her tradition which is Orthodox Christian. The epoch of the smorgasbord of “religions” that followed the fall of “scientific atheism” is passing away.
For what is western buddhism the best description is that of one of our commenters:
“Buddhismus and especially Tibetan Buddhism in the west is mainly a tool of social engeneering by CIA and others”.

I find the timing of a world survey opinion poll showing American’s being proud of America dropping to near 50% rather sublime. Here’s a link quoting Roman historians and comparing the two empires. Interesting.

Anonymous on May 10, 2015 · at 12:29 am UTC
Gotta hand it to this guy, he has found a good mealticket here. Ready to muddy the waters, derailing the flow of thoughts. I Agree with old_bill, but his parallels belong in a fantasy land.
With history in hands, family history, there was no Ukraine in the 1600, there was the Zaprozhye Sich. Can tell you my relatives were there at that precise historical time.They are the true Ukrainians, and they are true Russians.
Their home was the whole of Western and Southwestern Russia, White Russia, Black Russia, Little Russia, the lands of the Polish/ Lithuanians, they roamed wherever they wanted and their loyalty was to themselves, and yes, they accepted the Tsar. They could have chosen anyone they wanted, they chose to be one with Russia.
That makes you sad?
You show an incredible amount of ignorance, and follow the line of SBU, no doubt., Geraschenko could be your surname, easily.
Rewriting History, here??? The only people in what is today called Ukraine that had Masters, are the Galichans.
You can never tell a cossack that he has or had a Master!!!
And your Galichans are the ones conducting the War in Ukraine, trying to please yet another Master, this one the Anglo_ Zionist, who after all is familiar to them.
Those are your current Ukrainians, who served for 700 years Poles, Lithuanians, Tatars, Ottomans, Austro Hungarian princes, and German Reich. they do not know of liberty nor freedom, have no idea of who they are, easily conquered by Pie in the Sky, or a Romantic Comedy, or a Stallone flick.
Go tell an Irishman that his Island belongs to England…

And go tell your Masters in DC to return the Southwestern US to Mexico, can you hear the …..

‘ I remember sorting through my father’s papers after his death’ said Alexander Chuikov.

I came accross a small hand-written prayer and immediately recognised his handwriting. The paper was old and creased, the ink faded. The scrap of paper would have been folded and kept as a talisman. My father – a committed communist – never spoke about it. But I knew from others in the family that he carried it with him during the war.

The prayer read as follows:

‘O Powerful One! The one who can turn night into day, and rough soil into a garden of flowers. Make light everything that is hard for me – and help me.’

What he believes or practises, we don’t know. But he is baptised. This is from an interview he gave in Kosovo while heading Russia’s humanitarian efforts there in 2004.

Q: – The Serbian Orthodox Church has bestowed upon you its highest order of St. Sava. Are you the only Russian who has received it? By the way, are you Orthodox?

A: – At least when awarding it they said it was the first presentation in Russia. I baptized abroad. At the age of five in the city of Stakhanov. Now this is in independent Ukraine.

Stakhanov. happens to be in Donbass, in the Lugansk People’s Republic. When Shoigu was baptised there it was known as Kadievka . He was educated in Siberia.

I can’t tell if he’s Orthodox or not. I can guarantee he’s seen a LOT of people praying, having been hands-on in charge of every major disaster in Russia and many in nearby other countries since from 1990 to 2012 during which he was Minister for Emergency Services,having built that service from scratch.

This is a very interesting story with a lot more detail about his parents (Dad was NOT an innocent “editor of regional paper” as Wikipedia says) and how he got into politics. The tone of the article is highly Atlantist, being from
opendemocracy.net , the very name of which rings alarm bells.

Sure enough it is owned by a UK company with the usual suspects as donors, including even Rockefellers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDemocracy. Still the data is probably right; the nonsense re Crimea and MH17 is nonsense.

This guy might be Putin’s successor. Or Medvedev’s at least. He’s a civil engineer with an economics PhD and speaks 6 or 7 languages. His thesis was “The organization of public administration at forecasting of emergency situations in order to reduce the socio-economic damage” “. Planning, planning, planning.

======
After all the buildup, maybe all he said was “Please God don’t let the Armata break down again”. But I think not. It was broader and deeper than that, and 100% genuine.

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